Famous Serial Killers List : 530 Results

Famous killers of all time recorded as researched. Serial killers assorted by your votes as most interesting. We have searched the internet but have not been satisfied with the other lists of famous serial killers out there, so we decided to improve. We are not trying to idolize these notorious murderers but shed some light on the history of these killers and their bio's. The FBI create serial killer profiles, and in respect, we are trying to do the same.

Famous Serial Killers

All time recorded serial killers with complete profiles with confirmed murders/victims.

Each of the below listed famous serial killer names includes the full profiles and serial killer birthdays.

529) Zhou Kehua

That is our complete list of infamous serial killers and the most notorious serial killers. We thought about creating a top 100 serial killers list or narrowing the list down to the top ten serial killers, but neither were satisfying to us. We hope you enjoy this full list sorted alphabetically.

Many of the murderers listed here were sexually abused as children, but a few of these killers were born this way! Many of the murderers here preyed on young women, men, and a teenage boy or two committing sexually assaulting acts of rape and murder on these poor people that ended tragically. The crime scenes left behind tell a gruesome story of the victims in their final moments according to the body parts. A few of the persons listed here have claimed to have killed in the hundreds before finally getting caught, and justice was served. Many were sentenced to life or sentenced to death as befitting their horrible crimes. Some of the murderers committed suicide before or during their sentence.

5 Famous New York City Killers

More About Famous Serial Killers

List of Serial Killer Profiles and Their Gruesome Biographies
In our serial killer's list, find everything you want (and probably don't want) to know about these depraved individuals. We have listed their biographies so you can see how they lived their lives. Discover how they found their victims, how they killed them and what their weapons of choice were. In some instances, see how these famous murderers early life and external forces affected their urge to kill, as well as the driving factors that influenced them to resort to killing; that is if these driving factors are known. Some individuals in the serial killer list may not even know why they did what they did. Discover the real reasons we despise these famous serial killers.

Serial Killers List - How We Choose Them
Our list of serial killers includes sick minds and sociopathic personalities. Some are the most famous serial killers of all times, including Jack the Ripper, The Zodiac Killer, and The Boston Strangler. Some are not as well known, but just as deadly with the number of kills staggering above 100, such as Dr. Harold Shipman, who reportedly killed over 200 elderly women. Men are not the only serial killers on the list; there are also several women on the list. Elizabeth Bathory, also known as The Blood Countess, enjoyed the art of torture. To keep her youthful appearance, Bathory resorted to killing over 600 young girls and drinking their blood. Disgusting, dangerous, deviant, however, you wish to describe them, these serial killers are best left to be read about and not ever met.

Serial Killers Defined
Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being by another. Giving a definition of a serial killer is not as simple. Serial killing is brought on by many different states of mind and takes on various forms for each. Rarely killing for money, serial killers often kill for the thrill, sexual satisfaction and dominance they achieve within their psyche. Typically a serial killer is one who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a rest period between murders. Some argue two or more murders qualify. The FBI states that the motives of a serial killer often include financial gain, thrill, anger, and attention. Often, the murder victims have something in common such as race, appearance, sex, age group, and occupation. In rare exceptions, where the relationship between the victim and the offender is that of a stranger or slight acquaintance, the motivation to kill and apparent motives can be lacking. Some of the driving factors which lead serial killers on a killing spree include the following: voices in the head, childhood abuse or trauma, sexual incompetency, seeking attention, inferiority complex and dysfunctional personality.

Famous Serial Killers Categorized
The motives of famous serial killers fall into four categories: visionary, mission-oriented, hedonistic and power/control. Keep in mind that any given killer can have multiple traits. Visionary serial killers undergo psychotic breaks from reality; they can believe they are another person or compelled to murder by entities such as the devil or God. Mission-oriented serial killers want to rid the world of a particular type of person. By getting rid of these "undesirable" people, they believe they are curing society's ills. These serial killers may focus on those attracted to their gender, prostitutes or people of a particular religion or ethnicity. Power/ control serial killers' primary goal is to exert power over their victim. They may have residual feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness from an abused childhood. These killers often sexually abuse their victims not to seek pleasure but to dominate their victims. Hedonistic serial killers kill because of the thrill, deriving pleasure from the act; people are considered expendable means to their goals. Subtypes of the hedonistic killer include lust killers with sex, torture, and mutilation as their primary motives, thrill killers who create terror or induce pain in their victims and comfort/profit killers with material gain as their motives.

Famous Serial Killers to Die For
It's hard to determine when the first serial murder began. If you think this is a modern phenomenon, think again. The sad**tic, savage impulses of serial killers are undoubtedly as old as humankind. According to historical criminologists, serial murders have occurred throughout history, although cases were not adequately recorded. Interestingly enough, some sources suggest legends such as werewolves and vampires were inspired by medieval serial killers. The first famous serial killers to receive media attention were Burke and Hare in 1828; they killed 16 victims and sold them as cadavers to an anatomy lecturer. Jack the Ripper, known as the most famous serial killer of all time, killed prostitutes in 1888 London, and the first American serial killer was H.H. Holmes in 1896, who murdered 27. Throughout history, nothing has received more media attention or extracted more fear than a famous serial killer on the loose.